As a teacher, one of the first things you will want to do to get started on Code.org is set up a classroom section. A section is a virtual representation of your classroom of students that allows you to
- Assign a course to your students - Students will start at their assigned course when they sign in which makes it easier to keep your students focused and on-track
- Manage your students' Code.org accounts and help them reset their passwords
- Track your students' progress and in some courses, leave them feedback directly in your Code.org tools
We recommend creating a section for each class you teach (Example: If you're a middle school teacher with three classes of students, you'll want to create three separate sections, one for each class).
This article will walk you through all the steps for creating a classroom section.
Check out this video on creating classroom sections, hosted by Aryanna!
Step 1: Sign in with your teacher account
To create a class section, first make sure to sign in to your teacher account. If you don’t have a teacher account, you can create one here.
Step 2: Create a section from your teacher dashboard
Once you are signed in, you should be automatically taken to your homepage
Note: You can get back to your homepage at any time by clicking the 'My Dashboard' text at the top of your screen or the Code.org logo in the upper, left corner of the screen
You should see a 'Create a Section' header on your homepage. This is where you will find any sections you've already created, and where you'll be able to create new sections.
Look for the 'Add a new classroom' banner and click the purple 'Create a section' button to get started.
Step 3: Choose how you want your students to sign in to Code.org
Code.org offers different sign options to accommodate various classroom setups and different student ages and abilities. The first decision you’ll be asked to make when you set-up your section is how you want your students to log in to Code.org.
Choose one of the following options in the New Section page (read on to learn which to choose):
- Picture password
- Secret words
- Personal logins
- Google Classroom
- Clever
Notes:
- Not seeing Google Classroom or Clever as options? Make sure you've already connected your teacher account to Google or Clever. Learn how
- You must choose the same sign-in option for all students in your section
- Once you've started adding students to your section, you cannot change that section's sign-in type
Picture Passwords (Ages 4-8)
Picture password logins use a secret picture as a password. What you should know:
- Recommended for pre-readers or students who are still learning to use a mouse and keyboard, and may have trouble with spelling: generally, ages 4-8
- You will create accounts for your students and Code.org will automatically generate a different picture password for each student
- You can view and reset your students' picture passwords at any time in the Manage Students tab. Learn more.
Secret Words (Ages 9-12)
Secret word logins use two simple words as the password. What you should know:
- Recommended for students who are comfortable with a mouse and keyboard, but who do not have a personal email address yet: generally, ages 9-12
- You will create accounts for your students and Code.org will randomly generate different secret word pairs for each student that they can use as their password
- You can view and reset your students' secret word passwords at any time in the Manage Students tab. Learn more.
Personal Logins (Ages 13+)
Personal email logins are independently created by your students using a personal email address they have access to and a password they create. What you should know:
- Recommended for students who are old enough to have and manage their own personal email address, as well as set and remember their own password for Code.org
- This is also a good option if your students already have their own Code.org accounts and you want them to still have access to their old work
- Instead of manually adding each student to the section yourself, you'll send your students a link to join your classroom section once they've signed in to Code.org with their personal accounts
- You cannot view or reset your students' passwords for personal email logins, but you can generate a reset password email for them if they forget their Code.org password. Learn more.
Google Classroom and Clever
If you already use Google Classroom or Clever with your students, you can sync a Code.org section to an existing class roster that you maintain in these services. What you should know:
- This allows students to sign in to Code.org with their Google Classroom or Clever accounts and doesn't require them to remember and maintain separate Code.org login information
- You do not need to manage separate classroom lists in Google Classroom or Clever AND Code.org - you'll still do all of your student account management through Google Classroom or Clever (resetting passwords, changing student names, adding or removing students from the classroom, etc.), and then you will sync those changes with your Code.org section from the Manage Students tab.
- Recommended for students and classrooms who already have Google Classroom or Clever accounts
The remainder of this support article will focus primarily on Picture Password, Secret Word, and Personal Logins.
To learn more about creating a Code.org section with Google Classroom or Clever, see these support articles:
Step 4: Fill out details about your classroom section
Once you pick the login type for your students, you will be able to finish filling out your section settings in a page that looks like this:
Fill out the section details with the following information:
Class Section
Enter any name you want to give your section that will help you remember what the section is for. Your students will also be able to see the name of the section, so we recommend picking something they'll recognize as well.
Grade(s)
Choose which grade you are teaching. Pick “Other” if you are teaching anything other than K-12. This is solely for your own reference and won't affect the students' experience or which courses they can access.
Assign Curriculum
Choose the course you are planning to teach to this class of students.
- By assigning a course to your section, your students will automatically be taken to the given course page when they log in
- Don’t know what course to assign? Simply choose “Decide later” for now. Check out our course catalog to help decide what course to teach
- If you are teaching a full 6-12 course (such as Computer Science Discoveries, Computer Science Principles, or Computer Science A (CSA)), you will notice that these courses are broken up into multiple units.
- You will see a second dropdown that lets you choose the specific unit and version you want to assign:
Add Co-Teachers
Here, you will find the ability to add co-teachers. Co-teachers can do the same tasks as the primary teacher, except they can't remove the primary teacher. Co-teachers can assist with managing students, resetting passwords, tracking progress, and more, for a smoother classroom experience. For more information on co-teachers, check out this article.
Advanced Settings
Enable Pair Programming
Pair programming is a collaborative learning method in which students program in pairs instead of individually. When pair programming is turned on for your classroom section, students can choose to work with another student, in tandem, at one computer while completing regular programming assignments. Students who pair program together will share progress. Learn more about pair programming.
Enable Section Locking
We allow teachers to restrict access or "lock" a section to stop unwanted students from joining your section. Check out more information here.
Enable Automatic Instruction Read-Aloud (certain courses only)
Many lessons in Code.org's courses offer a read-aloud option for students. You can even set some courses to read instructions aloud to your students automatically. For more information, click here.
Enable Lesson Extras (certain courses only)
When Lesson Extras is enabled, students will end each lesson with some bonus challenges and creative projects rather than being automatically advanced to the next lesson. Courses that offer lesson extras are: Courses A-F, Express, Pre-Express, and CS Discoveries. Click here to learn more about this feature.
Step 5: Save your section
Once you’re done filling out all of the section details, click the purple 'Finish creating sections' button at the bottom of the page to save your newly created section.
Note: If you are creating multiple sections, hit 'Save and add another class section'
After creating you section, you'll be taken back to your home page and see your newly created section under the 'Classroom Sections' header.
Step 6: Add students to your section
Finally, you'll need to add your students to your classroom section. The steps you'll take to add students to your section will differ based on the login type you chose for your students. Check out this article for more information.
Other Tips
- Edit your section's settings: To edit your section's details (i.e. The name of the section, grade levels, etc.) click the gear icon in the row of the section.
- We recommend keeping your section's assignment up to date as the class moves through the course materials. Learn how to update the materials your section is assigned to.
- Check student progress: As the students in your section are working, you can keep track of which levels they've completed and see their answers to open-ended questions, surveys and assessments. Click on the name of your section in the Classroom Sections table to explore their progress. Learn more about viewing student progress.
- Update student details: If you need to add a student or update an existing student's name, age, or other information after you've created your section, you can do so on the Manage Students tab. To find this, click the name of the section where you need to adjust the student roster, and then click 'Manage Students' on the purple bar that appears.